Gone Fishin'

The fishing season kicked into high gear last Saturday. With it came a statewide controversy over increased fees for fishing licenses. Connecticut felt the need to reel in a whopper to put a dent in its budget shortfall, so licenses that may have gone for $32 a year ago were soaring to $50. As concerns over these charges hit home, the concern was evident heading toward April 17th at the Fish Connection in Preston and Mike's Bait & Tackle in Voluntown. Some eastern Connecticut lakes, rivers and ponds are also frequently visited by Rhode Island anglers who were even less eager to pay a lot more for an extra Connecticut license. Many of those who believe a bad day fishing is better than a good day working went ahead and paid the money, only to see the fees decreased right before the start of the season. The earlybirds were essentially penalized. Many state park fees had also been rolled back thanks to some strong lobbying. This eleventh hour change is good; we don't want to discourage people from fishing and visiting our parks. Now, should the state give refunds to anyone who paid the higher fee? If refunds or credits for next year are at all possible, they should be given. A giveback would be the fair thing to do. I have my doubts if the early payers will ever see it though.